Whew, I really had my internal editor turned off when I wrote that last post. I repeated myself about my neighbor's plants coming from family, and my Raffi "story" would have been better stated as "I didn't think I'd like Raffi, but surprise! I do." Thanks for bearing with me.
I'm still trying to get around to sorting through and posting pictures of the twins' party. For those of you curious about the results of the dol,* Maddie quickly and resolutely chose pencil and Riley first grabbed string, pondered it for a minute, then did a one-two follow-up of pencil and money. We'll see how that all plays you in the coming years.
For those of you curious about the birthday cake, the twins obliged swimmingly. They dove right into their chocolate on chocolate cupcakes with abandon. Chocolate, chocolate everywhere! Pictures coming, pictures coming.
Yawn. Between coming off last weekend's party mania and being at the conference for work Wednesday through Friday, I'm pooped. No rest for me, though. Tomorrow we're headed for New Hampshire for the day (Dartmouth area) to see a Peace Corps friend who is in the States visiting her parents; normally she lives in Zambia. I'm excited to see her and show off the twins, but all the prep work for a trip with two wee ones is a lot. I had thought that we'd stay until bedtime and that I'd just transfer them from car to crib for the rest of the night once we got home, but I think I'll need to head home during afternoon nap so that I have some time to get ready for the upcoming week.
For the record, Baby Beluga is in the car CD player, ready to go. And speaking of kids' music, thanks for all the great suggestions. I can't wait to check them all out!
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I love movies. Going to the movies by myself is one of my biggest pleasures. I love going to the movies with people, too, but I really love going alone. Needless to say, I haven't done much solo moviegoing for a while, and frankly, I haven't done much movie watching at all. By the time I have a minute to relax on the couch with some TV, a movie feels like too much commitment. I'm more of a TV-show-on-DVD watcher now.
Tonight, though, I was motivated to start one of the Blockbuster.com movies I've had laying around since John died. I put in Tsotsi and sat back. I'd been wanting to see this movie for ages; I'm a sucker for anything Africa-related, and I love a good thought-provoking film, all the better if it's foreign.
I got through the first forty-five minutes, and I'll watch the rest tomorrow or Monday. It's an amazing movie. But.
• With all that I have going on in my life, I find anything but a light, fluffy comedy extremely difficult to watch. It really takes a lot out of me, which makes me sad, but it's just the way things are right now.
• I find it almost unbearable to watch movies in which babies are in harmful situations. Since becoming a mother, it just hits too close to home.
I'll get back to my arthouse film ways, and I'm glad I am watching Tsotsi. I need to get some fun stuff in my Blockbuster queue, though. When is the current season of Grey's Anatomy coming out on DVD???
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Follow-up on my in-laws and the plants and all: It finally occurred to me that I should just say to him, "You know, I'm still feeling very sorry about what happened with your plants. I know I can't replace them, but is there anything I could do to help make it up to you? A gift certificate to a nursery? Something else?" I mean, duh. I'm an adult, he's an adult. Why this didn't occur to me sooner . . .
* Can't find a good link to an explanation of the dol, and I'm too lazy/tired to write one out now. Anyone have a good link?
Moi
- Snickollet
- I'm a mother and a widow, and a whole lot of other things. Here, though, I tend to write about parenting, grief, and their intersection.
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14 comments:
I've had trouble watching heavy stuff since I became pregnant last year. After grief hit I couldn't even think of doing it either. I was thinking just the other day that I should give it another shot. I am glad you are enjoying it, if that's the right word, even if it is hard. I might just follow you. Thanks for the push.
I'm the same way about stories about babies and small children now; before I was pregnant, those kinds of stories never affected me more than they would anyone, but now I simply can't take them.
The inverse of this, though, is that having a child has apparently put all tragic stories involving toddlers on my husband's radar, and, once there, he's apparently compelled to share them with me...
I found some ok dol links:
http://hereinkorea.blogspot.com/2006/01/dol.html
http://metrodad.typepad.com/index/2005/10/the_peanuts_dol.html
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/tol/tol.cfm?xURL=table
I have the same thing with 'difficult' films and books, I've been a complete wimp through all our infertility woes. i was quite proud of myself for getting through 'the good shepherd' last night. Cut yourself some slack is what I say, those films are still going to be there later.
First, thanks to thalia for the great links. I learned a lot. And thanks to snickollet for another great post. I love movies also. Lyrics and Music is a light weight romantic comedy with Drew Barrymore whom I just think is fantastic. Don't bother with Because I Said So. It was so bad I had to walk out. NIght at the Museum is worth seeing. Pirates of the Carribean, Knocked Up, Oceans Thirteen, Live Free or Die Hard are again all light weight but fun. I too often go to the movies alone. Many people I know really don't like films like The Flower Dragon which I loved. They don't like subtitles or foreign films nor heavy duty ones so I find it easier to just go alone. Hope your visit with your friend from the Peace Corp goes well.
You're tired. Your internal editor was probably fast asleep while you were writing the last post. I think your idea of reiterating to your neighbor that you're sorry and still feeling bad about the plants is a great one - I think I would really appreciate hearing from you, if I were the neighbor. (And, on an unrelated note, my favorite Raffi song is Bananaphone. It's a hoot.)
Oh poor you. It's a race weekend in this neck of the woods and I bet the traffic on the way home is going to be horrendous...hope it's not too terrible and awful!
I think your idea about what to say to your neighbor sounds just right!
I've never gone to the movies by myself much, but I think I'm going to have to start, b/c the Kid is at the age that he doesn't want to be seen with me there!
I know when my daughter was first born and for the first few years, I could barely watch the news, anything dealing with children would have me in tears...it still hits close to home, but I'm no longer a blubbering blob.
I just watched Music and Lyrics two nights ago, it was quite good, it made me laugh. Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore have great chemistry.
That's great that you will talk to your neighbor and find out how to make him feel better.
Hope you had a great visit to NH. Sounds like you could have used a day away, just hanging out with a friend.
Can't wait to see pictures! :)
I watched Tsotsi at a coffeehouse a few months ago. You are right; it is heavy. But I promise you that the ending is worth the swallowing tears and feeling tense. It is a good movie, and it still makes me think.
I think your words to your neighbor sound good. Who knows? Maybe you'll have a compadre in the "understanding insanely crazy inlaws" department now.
All of the "Ocean's" (11, 12, 13) movies are light and fun and everybody's dressed up and pretty. Plot? eh, I don't know. Doesn't matter. I know I've never completely figured out the heist in any of them. If you fall asleep before the end, you won't really care, but if you stay awake you get to watch George Clooney being smart and looking fine!
I hear you about the movies--completely. Only now can I begin to watch "heavy" films, and even so, my tolerance for depictions of loss--and, of course, of children harmed or in danger--is very, very limited. And for me, one of the lingering side-effects of grief is an inability to really *concentrate*. My attention span and ability to stay focused on something intense are both very compromised, which makes it hard for me to stay interested in long books, complex plots (visual or written), or, sadly, my own work. (I can usually focus enough to prep for and get through class, but am still not moving forward in my own work very well.)
And I hear you, too, about the traveling. I find myself--even with my one, much older and therefore easier to pack for, load, and transport than your twosome--stuck with the devil's own choice....do I go to X (any fun, worthwhile event), using up huge amounts of energy and my child's goodwill, and returning stressed and tired to things undone and a week of catch-up? Or do I stay home, do my chores, and spend the days bored and lonely and angry?
Light & Foreign
Amilie
An Everlasting Piece
Beauty & the Beast –Cocteau
Bend it like Beckham
Bride and Prejudice
Monsoon Wedding
Muriel’s Wedding
Strictly Ball Room
The Wedding Banquet
Waking Ned Devine
Good Food Movies
Babettes Feast
Chocolat
Eat, Drink, Man, Women
Like Water for Chocolate
Mostly Martha
Women on Top
Kung Fu
Dragon Inn
Hero
House of Thousand Daggers
Last Hero in China
I like anonymous' movie list! Bride and Prejudice is hilarious. Bollywood with a plot that's familiar.
For a while now I've felt like such a wimp with movies. Life has been challenging enough, I haven't wanted to 'escape' to something even worse. It's only been recently that I wanted to see stuff like Last King of Scotland (DON'T see it yet). I hear you. Also the joy of watching a movie alone... I love that.
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